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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mate — a partner
  3. root — of a plant
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — the cause
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com